In Japan, researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a living robot capable of smiling in response to stimuli. The creepy, two-dimensional breakthrough came by growing skin on a humanoid robot. While such robots have been made before, the living portion was attached to the robotic portion in a way caused damage with skin […]
In Japan, researchers at Chiba University have converted melanin sourced from cuttlefish ink into a bioplastic. “From a resource perspective, the melanin concentrated in the ink sacs of cuttlefish and squid is easily recoverable natural melanin, said Associate Professor Michinari Kohri from the Graduate School of Engineering, who led the study. “The catch of squid […]
In Japan, IHI Corporation together with the Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE), a research institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, has been working on the development of technology for the synthesis of sustainable aviation fuel. IHI Corporation stated that the decision has now been taken to proceed […]
In Japan, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company has begun producing bio-methanol at a just-completed facility within the company’s Niigata Plant, becoming the first producer of bio-methanol from digester gas in Japan. Last year, MGC concluded a basic agreement with Niigata Prefecture to purchase and sell digester gas generated at the Niigogawa Sewage Treatment Center, which is […]
In Japan, Toyota Tsusho Corporation announced that Kumamoto Forest Generation, jointly invested by Toyota Tsusho Group company Ene-Vision Co., Chubu Electric Power Co., and Toho Gas Co, completed construction on the Yatsushiro Biomass Power Plant and began commercial operations on June 16, 2024. The power plant is a wood-burning biomass power plant that will generate […]
In Japan, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has received orders from Toyofuji Shipping and Fukuju Shipping for Japan’s first methanol-fueled roll-on/roll-off (RORO) cargo ships. The two ships will be built at the Enoura Plant of MHI’s Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture, with scheduled completion and delivery by […]
In Japan, ENEOS Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to perform a joint study on the social implementation of hydrogen and decarbonized fuels, which expands the ongoing joint feasibility study in the area of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). ENEOS currently operates hydrogen stations for fuel cell vehicles (FCV) […]
In Japan, the Japan Times reported that Hive Hydrogen South Africa is seeking to attract some of Japan’s biggest companies to invest in a $5.9 billion green ammonia project. Senior officials from units of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Itochu, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsui OSK Lines will visit the site of the proposed plant in […]
In Japan, Resonac Corporation, Neste and Marubeni Corporation have entered into a cooperative agreement to enable the production of renewable olefins and derivatives. The cooperation involves Neste RE™, a Neste-produced renewable raw material, being used to manufacture products at leading Japanese chemical company Resonac’s Oita Complex in Japan. Marubeni, a major Japanese general trading and […]
In Japan, a study by Osaka Metropolitan University found that persimmon tannin helps the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae grow 8.9 times better in ethanol, attributing this to the antioxidative properties of the tannin which reduce stress but do not protect cell membranes. The researchers explored persimmon tannin because it is known for its antioxidative properties. “In […]
